


Just a Room Key

by bonniepride, deathcomealive



Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Earth! AU, F/M, M/M, human! au, kalluzeb - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-16 14:22:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29577450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bonniepride/pseuds/bonniepride, https://archiveofourown.org/users/deathcomealive/pseuds/deathcomealive
Summary: Alexsandr Kallus can never seem to get to a second date with any of the woman who ask him out, and he can't figure out why. After much (loving) badgering by his flatmate, Lyste, Alex finally agrees to go to a gay bar and give spending the night with another man a try, mostly just to get Lyste off his back and convince him that he isn't gay. But when the friendly barman, Rex, introduces Alex to his longtime friend, Zeb,  Alex's stance that he is absolutely not interested in a romantic relationship with another man is quickly put to the test.
Relationships: Alexsandr Kallus/Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios, Kanan Jarrus/Hera Syndulla
Comments: 8
Kudos: 24
Collections: Kalluzeb Mini-Bang 2021





	1. Chapter 1

It was a little past midnight when Alex sneaks into his flat, opening and closing the door as softly as he can and not even daring to turn on the overhead lights. He knew his way around well enough, he could fumble around in the darkness until he could get to his room--

“So. How’d the date go?”

Alex winces when the lamp by the recliner in the living room snaps on and he sees his flatmate, Lyste, sitting there, arms folded over his chest.

“The date went fine,” Alex answers, trying not to sound too defensive and give himself away. 

“Uh huh.” Lyste raises an eyebrow. “And you smell like chips and despair because…? You’d better not tell me you took her to the Macy D’s down the road.”

“Of course I didn’t!” Alex cries. “I have a sight more class than that!”

“Then how’d you end up there?” Lyste deadpans. 

“I stopped to get some coffee before coming home,” Alex mumbles.

“Good effort, but you and I know both know you hate Macy D’s unless you’re there to drown your sorrows in cheap rubbish.” Lyste shakes his head. “Your date ditched you, didn’t she? And you were just trying to stay out late enough so that I wouldn’t think the date had gone terribly, weren’t you?”

“That’s not true--!”

“Alex. You’ve done that the past five dates you’ve been on, you can’t fool me anymore.”

“The fact that you’ve been keeping track is just rude,” Alex huffs.

“And the fact this is the sixth date it’s happened on is a pretty good sign there’s a problem somewhere in this equation,” Lyste answers.

“Can you please just leave me alone so I can drown my sorrows in peace?” Alex groans, heading over to the fridge to grab a can of cider.

“I don’t know what you’re doing, Alex.” Lyste shakes his head, not taking the very obvious point and trailing after him. “You have women practically throwing themselves at you all the time, but you can never make it to the second date with any of them?”

“I said I didn’t want to talk about it!” Alex snaps.

“Are you even enjoying these dates?” Lyste presses. “Sometimes I wonder if you’re even making an effort.”

“Of course I’m making an effort! If a woman asks me out on a date I feel like I should have the common courtesy to treat her properly--”

“That’s the thing, though--it sounds like you’re doing this out of obligation, not because you want to!” 

Alex knew that Lyste was hitting the proverbial nail on the head, but he didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he was right. 

“It’s rude to turn someone down and not even give them the chance if they’re interested in you,” he finally mumbles. “And I’m not exactly having much progress finding a girlfriend on my own, so I figure one of these dates I’ll finally find someone I have a connection to…”

“Oh, Alex.” Lyste shakes his head. “Alex, mate, you know I love you, but we both know you’re dancing around the point I’ve been trying to get you to admit for months.”

“Which is?”

“You’re not attracted to women!”

“Of course I am!” 

“No, you’re not!” 

“Lyste, just because you discovered you’re attracted to men after meeting Arthur that doesn’t mean everyone in the world is suddenly gay! I’m very happy for you, but I keep telling you, I’m not--!”

“Then why won’t you even give it a try?”

“What?” 

“Just give it a test run! Go out to a bar, meet a nice bloke, go out on a date, see what happens!” 

“Lyste, I’m not--”

“You can’t rule it out as a possibility until you’ve tried it!”

Alex heavily exhales through his nose. Why couldn’t Lyste just leave this alone? There was no way that he was gay! Alright, so maybe he could appreciate when a man was well groomed and well dressed, and sure sometimes he found himself admiring how nicely built a man was, but everyone did that, it was completely normal! Still, no matter what he did he couldn’t seem to get Lyste off his case. Lyste would never believe that he wasn’t attracted to men unless he actually gave it a try… 

“Look, I’ll make you a deal,” Lyste suddenly says, drawing his attention back. “Just take my advice--spend one night with another man. If you like it, great, problem solved! If you don’t like it, well, no one else ever has to know, and I’ll never bug you about it again.”

“What, you want me to go have sex with a total stranger?” Alex squawks, feeling his cheeks burning.

“I said spend the night--I didn’t say how, you’re the one who made it about sex,” Lyste answers with a playful smirk.

“Oh shut up,” Alex mutters. He didn’t like this, not one bit. But maybe he could get Lyste off his back, which would be a relief…

“How would I even start looking?” Alex asks, trying to find a flaw in the deal that he could exploit. 

“I’ve got single friends I could set you up with!” Lyste answers eagerly.

:”But wouldn’t that make things awkward afterwards if you bring them around here?” Alex deadpans.

“Not if you started dating them!” 

“ _Lyste_.” 

“Okay, fine, fine! In that case I’ll give you the address of a gay bar Arthur takes me too--it’s always busy, I’m sure you’ll find someone who’s interested.”

“Fine,” Alex mumbles. At least that way it would probably be a total stranger so he’d never have to worry about seeing them again after the evening was over.

“Great!” Lyste beams at him. “I’ll text it to you, and tomorrow I can help you get ready for your night of romance!”

“I’m not thirteen, I don’t need help getting ready for a date!” Alex protests.

“Your dating track record so far says otherwise,” Lyste says wryly. 

“Shut up. If I’m doing this I’m doing it on my terms, alright?”

“Alright.” Lyste puts his hands up in mock surrender. “I’ll leave you to it--but don’t say I didn’t warn you!”

Afterwards, Alex had to admit that he probably should have taken Lyste’s offer--when he walked into the bar the next night, he found that even thought he felt fairly dressed down from his normal in a short sleeved button up and grey slacks he was far more dressed up than most of the other people here. He was pretty sure he stuck out like a sore thumb, and he felt entirely out of his element. But he had made a deal, and he intended to come out the victor on the other end of it, so he forces himself to walk further into the bar (doing his best to ignore the loud music and flashing lights at the far end of the room)--if anything he was glad that Lyste had sent him to a place with easily accessible alcohol, he’d probably need it to get through this. 

If nothing else, the bartender in this place was friendly enough. He seemed to somehow know that Alex was new to all of this as, after taking Alex’s drink order, he asks, “So, first time in a gay bar?”

“Is it that obvious?” Alex asks, feeling embarrassed. 

“A bit,” The barman answers with a chuckle that at least sounded friendly, not condescending. “Mostly just because I know all the regulars here. But it’s alright--nothing to be ashamed of, and I promise you won’t find a more welcoming group than we have here. I’m Rex, by the way.”

“Kallus,” Alex answers--he preferred to not go by his first name with someone until they were someone he felt comfortable with and knew he could trust--Lyste said it was a barrier he put up to protect himself, and maybe it was, but working as a lawyer in a very cutthroat firm he had to learn to put up walls. It was too easy to get burned otherwise.

“So, what brings you here?” Rex asks as he pours him a pint of Guinness. “You just started to figure things out for yourself, or maybe looking to make some new friends?”

Somehow with as open and friendly as Rex was being, Alex felt like he should be honest. Only instead of telling him that he wasn’t actually gay, he found himself answering, “I-I’m actually not sure that I am, but my friend Lyste sent me here…”

“I see.” Rex’s eyes light up with recognition. “Lyste, eh? That would make you Alex, then? He talks about you all the time!”

Alex wasn’t sure which was more disconcerting, Rex already knowing his first name or the fact that Lyste had apparently been talking about him to perfect strangers (what exactly had he been saying?), but he finds himself nodding in reply--he couldn’t really see a reason to lie at this point.

“Well, you go enjoy yourself,” Rex says with a warm, almost oddly fatherly, smile. “There are plenty of nice blokes here, I’m sure you’ll find someone to your liking.”

"I…” Alex feels himself blushing, and as he turns to look back at the rest of the bar he found himself incredibly overwhelmed. He’d never been great at making friends or meeting new people outside of making professional contacts for work--there was a reason he was always the one being asked on dates, not the other way around. 

“Need a little help?” Rex asks good naturedly.

“Yes,” Alex admits, as much as he hated showing just how out of his depth he was.

“Go try talking to my friend, Zeb.” Rex gestures to a table not too far from the bar where a very tall and muscular man was sitting by himself with a glass of what Alex was pretty sure was whiskey. “Couldn’t ask for someone kinder or steadier. And it’s been a while since he’s come in, so I think he’s looking to have a good time with someone tonight.”

Alex found himself swallowing a bit thickly--was he really ready to do this? But if nothing else Rex seemed to think highly of this Zeb, so hopefully things couldn’t go too terribly… 

He made himself take on step forward, then another and then another, until he was in front of Zeb. The other man seemed to be mindlessly scrolling through his phone based on the rather disinterested look on his face, and Alex wasn’t sure if this was the best time to approach him, but finally he works up the courage to clear his throat and ask, “Alright if I sit here?”

Zeb jumps slightly, looking up from his phone with a rather startled look on his face, but after his eyes land on Alex a look that Alex was all too familiar with replaces it. He knew that a lot of people apparently found him attractive--that’s why he got asked on so many dates. But for some reason it felt… Different this time. Why was that? Did it have something to do with just how bright of green eyes Zeb had, and the fact Alex couldn’t help but notice just how broad and strong his shoulders looked? Not that Alex was at all attracted to him! But he could objectively admit that he was a rather attractive man, and, if he was attracted to men--which he absolutely wasn’t!--he might even say that he was his type.

“Yeah, sure,” Zeb answers, gesturing to the empty chair at the table which Alex gratefully takes. Well, that was step one accomplished, at least. 

“I’m Zeb,” Zeb says, offering him his hand.

“I know,” Alex answers, shaking it. “Your friend behind the bar sent me your way.” Maybe that wasn’t exactly smooth, but he didn’t want there to be any kind of pretenses here.

“He did, did he?” Zeb chuckles, a deep, almost purring type sound that made Alex involuntarily shiver for reasons he couldn’t quite explain--or at least not in a way that he was willing to admit to himself. “Remind me to thank him later. I don’t usually get the chance to talk to someone so handsome.”

“I…” Alex ducks his head, cheeks burning. “I-I feel like I should tell you up front that I’m not--” He wanted to say that he wasn’t gay, but for a second time that evening he found himself saying, “--I’m not sure if I’m attracted to men or not… I-I don’t think I am, or at least I didn’t, but with my horrible history of dating with women a friend sent me here tonight. I-I understand if you’re not interested in talking to me--that is, if you’d rather spend your time with men who you’re much more likely to have a connection with--”

“Nah, that’s alright,” Zeb answers, much to Alex’s surprise. “I appreciate you being honest with me, but I’m not going to ditch yeh or ask you to leave just because of that. I only came here tonight because my friends Kanan and Hera were feeling guilty about me being third wheel all the time and this way they’ll actually think I’m looking for a boyfriend. But I’m happy just having someone to chat with instead of drinking alone all night, so no worries if nothing comes of this, alright?”

“That's a rather generous point of view,” Alex says, even though he was relieved that things were going so easily, and grateful that Zeb wasn’t putting any pressure on him.

“Not a problem,” Zeb answers with a smile which may or may not have made Alex’s heart beat just a little bit faster. “So, what’s your name, then?”

“Kallus,” Alex answers--Zeb seemed nice enough, but he wasn’t quite ready to let down the barrier yet. 

“Well it’s nice to meet you, Kallus,” Zeb answers, and the way he said his name with such care almost made Alex wish he’d given him his first name just to hear how Zeb saying it would sound. “So, what kind of work do you do?”

“I'm a lawyer,” Alex answers, finally taking a sip of his Guinness and allowing himself to get comfortable. 

“Huh, must be pretty smart if you’re doing that,” Zeb says with a grin. “It sounds like an interesting field to be in, even though I doubt I could hack it.” 

“It’s alright, I suppose,” Alex answers with a shrug. 

“Just alright?” Zeb quirks an eyebrow. “I’d figure with having to go through law school and the bar exam and all that you’d have to be pretty committed to it.”

Huh. So Zeb actually had some idea of what he was talking about. “I suppose you could say it’s in my blood,” Alex answers with a shrug. “There’s a long line of lawyers in my family so it was sort of just expected of me. And I’m good at my job and it pays well so I don’t really have any right to complain.”

“Just because it’s expected of you and you’re good at it doesn’t necessarily mean you should do it,” Zeb says with a small frown. “Is there something you’d rather be doing?”

“Well I used to think about owning my own bakery,” Alex answers, surprised by how quickly he was opening up to Zeb. “But my parents would only pay for law school, not culinary school, and they’d probably have disowned me if I had tried to do something else so I just followed the path set out for me. I still bake in my spare time, at least, although it’s just me and my flatmate to eat whatever I make--I gave up on bringing anything into the office, everyone’s always on some diet or other that doesn’t allow carbs or processed sugar.”

“Christ, that sounds awful,” Zeb says softly. “I’m so sorry you have to live with that…”

“It’s not as bad as it sounds,” Alex shrugs, but he had to admit it was nice having someone validate his feelings for once--any other date he’d brought this up on he’d been told to just be grateful he had such a well paying job or the date wasn’t interested in hearing about his dreams. Still, he figured Zeb was just being kind and wasn’t terribly interested in hearing about his dissatisfaction with life so he quickly changed the subject. “What about you? What do you do?”

“Wood carver,” Zeb answers, and the way he brightened when he said that made Alex a little bit envious--it would be nice to be that passionate about his job. “I have a little shop downtown, and I open up booths at craft fairs and Ren fairies sometimes. Also I have a website--my niece, Sabine, helped me set it up, and I don’t get a lot of business from there, but I do get some.”

“Really? Any chance I could see it, see some of your work?” Alex asks, curiosity piqued. 

“You’d really like to see?” Zeb asks, and if Alex hadn’t been before the eager grin on Zeb’s face absolutely convinced him.

“Of course, I’d love to see.”

“Well… Okay then!”

Zeb pulls out his phone and, after a few moments of typing, handed the phone over to Alex. “Here--feel free to look as long as you want.”

That almost sounded like an invitation to stare at Zeb for as long as he wanted without being a creep about it, but Alex forced himself to look down at the phone, and, as it turned out, the pictures were absolutely something to behold.

“These are incredible,” Alex says softly. “Everything you make looks so lifelike--how do you do that?”

“I dunno--guess it’s always come naturally to me,” Zeb answers with a sheepish smile. “What about you? Is that what baking is like for you?”

So Zeb wasn’t going to let that go.

“I suppose.” Alex shrugs. “It’s something I did with my grandmother, when she was alive. She’s the only one who really seemed to care about it, so when she died…”

“I’m so sorry,” Zeb says softly. “I lost my grandparents about ten years ago, and I still miss them every day.”

“That’s sweet that you care about them so much.” Alex gives him a small smile. “I don’t know if anyone in my family would really care if I died tomorrow, so long as I wasn’t a disappointment before then…”

“Karabast, that’s terrible,” Zeb breathes before sighing and adding, “but I kind of know how you feel. My birth parents dropped me at my grandparents one day and never came back--no idea where they went or where they are now. They’ve never cared to find out what happened to me so I finally stopped caring about what happened to them.”

“Families are the worst,” Alex sighs, shaking his head, wondering if the Guinness was getting to him--he didn’t usually open up this quickly (or ever, really) about his personal life.

“A lot of them are,” Zeb agrees. “But I’ve got a pretty good one I’ve built for myself, even with my grandparents gone.” 

“Beg pardon?” Alex wasn’t sure how someone could “build” a family. 

“People I’ve met who I’ve chosen to be my family--my friends, Hera and Kanan, and their kids, Sabine and Ezra. Hera’s family rejected her for wanting to be a pilot instead of finding a husband, Kanan was an orphan who had a kind of dubious past doing what he had to in order to survive, and then they adopted the kids and our family just grew.”

“That sounds nice,” Alex says softly. 

“It is,” Zeb agrees. 

“Could you… Could you tell me more about them?”

“You’d actually like to hear about them?” Zeb looks surprised. “Most guys get bored or annoyed by me talking about my family…”

“Absolutely not--they sound wonderful, I’d love to hear about them.” 

“...Alright, if you’re sure.” Zeb didn’t sound totally convinced.

“I am.” Alex hoped his voice was conveying just how sincere as he actually was.

Apparently he managed that because Zeb grins and launches into the story of how he first met Hera and Kanan.

Alex was only too happy to listen--as much because Zeb’s family sounded wonderful as because Zeb’s voice was gorgeous. Maybe it was the drinks they were having, but the further the evening progressed and the better Alex got to know Zeb the more he wondered if it was really such a bad thing if he was potentially attracted to Zeb. Sure he’d never really thought he was attracted to men, but there wasn’t anything wrong with being attracted to a man, was there?

No, absolutely not. And Zeb seemed like a wonderful person, he could hardly do much better when it came to a potential partner. Plus the way Zeb slowly moved closer over the course of the evening until their hands were just touching and his knee was pressed up against his under the table actually felt wonderful. And then there was the way that Zeb’s eyes were becoming a little more hooded with every drink… 

Well, Alex would be lying if he said it wasn’t turning him on a bit.

He didn’t even realize how late it was getting until he heard Rex announcing last call. 

“Have we really been here that long?” he asks in surprise.

“Guess so,” Zeb answers with a playful smile. “Time flies when you’re talking to someone so wonderful.” 

“You’re pretty wonderful yourself,” Alex answers shyly. “I hate to leave…” 

“You have anything planned after this?” Zeb asks. 

“Not really, probably just heading home,” Alex shrugs. “Why?”

“Well… Kanan and Hera kind of insisted on getting me a hotel room for the night,” Zeb answers slowly. “I didn’t really plan on using it, but if you might be interested…”

“You’re asking me to spend the night with you?” Alex answers--he was admittedly slightly inebriated at the moment so his brain was moving a bit sluggishly. 

“O-Only if you want to,” Zeb quickly answers. “I-I know you weren’t sure if you were attracted to men in general, but I really like you, and if you feel the same way and would like to keep things going...”

“Well… I’m still not sure if I’m attracted to men in general,” Alex admits. 

“Oh…” Zeb’s shoulders drop. 

“But.” Alex dares to reach out and put his hand on Zeb’s. “I do know that I am very attracted to you.”

"Yeah?” Zeb’s eyes light up. 

“Yes,” Alex agrees, feeling completely certain of it now.

“Well… Great! So you want to come with me?”

“Sure.” Alex had never done anything like this before, but the truth was he was really looking forward to this.

“Great!” Zeb beams at him. “I’ll call us an Uber.”

“Wait, won’t our cars get towed if we leave them?” Alex asks, a bit of common sense kicking in. 

“Nah, I’ll just let Rex know we’re leaving them--he’d rather someone leave their car overnight than drive buzzed,” Zeb answers. 

“Well that’s kind of him.”

“He’s a kind person,” Zeb agrees, squeezing Alex’s hand and then standing up. “I’ll be back in a minute, okay?” 

“‘Kay,” Alex agrees. 

Things after that were a little fuzzy from all the alcohol he’d imbibed--he’d later remember Zeb coming back to get him and getting into an uber but things only really became clear again when he found himself inside the lobby of the hotel (apparently Zeb’s friends were quite generous, he wasn’t sure which hotel this was but it seemed like a very nice one.) 

“Got the room key!” Zeb says, returning to him. “Ready to head up?”

“Sure,” Alex agrees, his heart fluttering. 

“Perfect.” Zeb offers him his hand. “Shall we?”

“Absolutely.” Alex takes the offered hand and follows him into the elevator. 

The next thing he remembered they were walking into a hotel room with a floor to ceiling window that showed the city’s skyline. “This is a beautiful view,” he breathes, walking over to get a closer look.

“I suppose it is,” Zeb agrees, closing the door behind them. “But I’ve got a better one.”

“Z-Zeb…” Alex stammers, his cheeks warming.

“Can’t believe I’ve actually got someone as wonderful as you with me tonight,” Zeb says, coming over to Alex and wrapping his arms around his waist.

“You’re pretty wonderful yourself,” Alex answers, shivering at the contact. 

“Can I kiss you?” Zeb asks softly, his voice gravelly and his warm breath on Alex’s skin making his hair stand on end. 

“Y-Yes,” Alex breathes before he can overthink things.

Zeb grins at him, one hand reaching up to cup Alex’s cheek, his thumb gently tugging at the corner of Alex lips and making his heart race before leaning in, his lips ghosting over Alex’s.

“Sure this is okay?” Zeb asks softly.

“Very,” Alex answers before leaning in to close the gap. As soon as his lips touched Zeb’s, it was like there were fireworks going off in his head and he gasps softly, pulling Zeb closer. _Fuck_. If he’d had any doubts left about if he was really attracted to Zeb, they were completely gone now.

“That was incredible,” Zeb breathes when he finally pulls away, and Alex could see that his pupils were dilated, almost like a cat on catnip’s. 

“Yeah, it was,” Alex agrees breathlessly. 

“So--want to keep going?” Zeb asks, his voice sounding incredibly hopeful.

“Whatever you want, I’m yours,” Alex tells him, meaning every word of it.

“Perfect.” And with that Zeb starts trailing kisses down Alex’s neck, making Alex gasp with pleasure. He’d never felt anything like this before, but he already knew that he wanted more of it.

“Z-Zeb,” he stammers out, his eyes sliding shut so he could just concentrate on the wonderful feeling. 

“Sorry, too much?” Zeb asks, pulling away. 

“No!” Alex shakes his head. “Please--keep going.”

“Alright then.” Zeb goes back to kissing Alex’s neck, every once in a while throwing in a soft nip that only served to make Alex’s beginning of an erection grow that much harder.

Any attempt to keep track of time was quickly forgotten, Alex letting himself get entirely lost in the pleasure of all the wonderful things Zeb was doing to him. He wondered at times if he should be participating more, but Zeb seemed perfectly happy taking the lead so Alex let him. At one point Zeb huskily asks permission to take off Alex’s shirt, which Alex was more than happy to let him do, and the feeling of Zeb’s fingers gently undoing the buttons and then finally pulling the shirt off felt _wonderful_ , but not as much as when first Zeb’s eyes and then his hands trail over his exposed skin. 

“Oh, yer right gorgeous, you are,” Zeb purrs, and the very clear indication that he wanted to take things to the next level was sending fire through Alex’s veins. But somewhere in the back of his mind he felt a nagging worry--was he really ready for this? Trying to ignore it, he tugs gently on Zeb’s shirt. 

“Fair’s fair--this needs to come off,” he says. 

“I’ll take off whatever you want,” Zeb answers with a grin, pulling his shirt off slowly, clearly making a show of it.

“ _Fuck_ ,” Alex whispers as he sees Zeb shirtless for the first time. Alex worked out regularly, and considered himself to be fit and reasonably muscular. But he was nothing compared to Zeb and he felt himself going a bit weak at the knees. Fuck, the things that those muscles could do to him…

“Liking the view?” Zeb asks in a low voice, his fingers grazing Alex’s jaw, lightly tilting his chin up.

Alex was about to let him know how very much he was enjoying it when he suddenly felt a sensation that could only be described as not good in the pit of his stomach. No, not here, not now--! But all of the alcohol he’d had earlier was clearly about to make him pay for his overindulgence, and he jerks away from Zeb, trying to make it to the bathroom in time.

“Kallus? Kallus, what’s wrong?” he hears Zeb calling after him worriedly, and he wanted to reassure Zeb that he hadn’t done anything wrong but he didn’t have time for that. 

He almost made it to the toilet but not quite, instead finding himself retching into the waste bin just inside the door. Brilliant. Just brilliant. He’d just ruined one of the best dates he’d ever had, what Zeb must think of him…

“Oh, you poor thing.” As he finishes heaving, he hears Zeb’s voice coming from behind him, and, before he can even think how to respond, a warm, wet cloth was wiping at his face. “You had too much earlier, didn’t you? I should have been keeping an eye on that…”

“S’not your responsibility,” Alex mumbles, completely embarrassed. “I should have known my limit…”

“Well we can’t change the past,” Zeb answers soothingly. “But we can make sure you’re taken care of now. How are you feeling, do you think you need to throw up anymore?”

“Not at the moment…” Alex mumbles.

“Hopefully it stays that way. Still, I’ll try to find something clean for you to use if you need to throw up later. For now...” Zeb pauses and then, to Alex’s great surprise, suddenly scoops him up into his arms. “C’mon, let’s get you to bed.” 

Alex was so stunned that he didn’t even argue--just how strong was Zeb that he could pick him up like he weighed nothing?

“There you go,” Zeb gently sets him down on the bed a few moments later. “You stay there, I’ll be right back.”

Alex felt too much like gelatin to do anything else, and, as promised, Zeb returns shortly with a bottle of what looked like aspirin and a glass of water. “Here--these’ll help with the headache you’ll probably be getting here soon,” he says, handing both to Alex. “I should probably try to find a drugstore to get you some tums or something…” 

“N-No!” Alex looks up at him, feeling oddly clingy, like a small child. “P-Please… Don’t go…” 

“I’d just be gone for a minute,” Zeb says softly, his hand cupping Alex’s cheek. 

“No.” Alex presses into the warmth of the contact. “This feels nice…”

“Using me as a human heating pad helps?” Zeb asks, sounding a bit amused, but Alex couldn’t even bring himself to care. 

“Yes.”

“Okay then.” Zeb presses a soft kiss to his forehead. “You can use me as a heating pad. But first you have to take that aspirin and drink all that water for me, okay?”

“‘Kay.” Alex was in no position to argue, and he knew that this would probably make him feel better in the long run so he obediently downs the pills and the water.

“Thank you.” Zeb, who had been moving the other waste bin in the room next to the bed, takes the bottle and the empty glass from Alex once he was finished and sets them on the bedside table before climbing onto the bed next to Alex. Alex instinctively moves closer to him, sighing contentedly as he curls up against Zeb, who wraps his arms comfortingly around him.

“You’re like a furnace…” he drowsily mumbles, letting his eyes slide shut.

“I get that a lot,” Zeb chuckles, the laugh rumbling pleasantly in his chest against Alex. 

“‘S nice.” Alex presses his face into Zeb, soaking in his soothing warmth. 

“Sh… You just rest, Kal,” Zeb says softly, his fingers starting to soothingly stroke through Alex’s hair, feeling absolutely wonderful.

Kal. That’s right, he hadn’t told Zeb his first name yet… He felt he probably should, after everything that had happened tonight… But before he could he found himself sinking into peaceful oblivion, safe and secure in Zeb’s arms…

When Alex wakes up the next morning the first thing that he notices is that he’s cold, which was unusual because Lyste liked to keep the apartment like a sauna at night (mostly because both he and Alex had injuries that acted up in the cold.) Had Alex slept later than he’d thought and Lyste had already turned the air up? He slowly blinks his eyes open, a jolt of shock coursing through him as he realized that he was very much _not_ in his bedroom. And why was his head pounding like he’d been hit by a truck?

As he tries to puzzle out his situation slowly memories from the night before come floating back in, his cheeks turning a deep scarlet as he recalls just what had happened, as much from the fact that he’d made out with a stranger as from the fact that he’d then almost thrown up all over said total stranger. Fuck, just how much had he had to drink last night? Clearly too much. Still…

As his head falls back against the pillows, he had to admit that last night was the best night he’d had in… Well, longer than he could remember. Certainly it was the best date he’d ever had, if what had happened last night counted as a date. Zeb had been so sweet and kind about everything, and Alex clearly found himself very attracted to him. If given the chance, he wouldn’t mind seeing Zeb becoming a regular occurrence…

Of course “if given the chance” being the operative phrase here. It suddenly occurred to Alex that Zeb wasn’t visible anywhere in the room, and the bathroom door was standing open with the light off so it didn’t seem like he was in there. None of Zeb’s personal belongings were anywhere to be seen in the room either, for that matter. He hadn’t-- He hadn’t left, had he?

Maybe it was his splitting headache or maybe it was feeling vulnerable from waking up in a strange room all alone, but Alex feels tears pricking at his eyes at the realization that Zeb was probably long gone. 

Why? Why had he left? Had he just been playing with his feelings, hoping to get him into bed but leaving when it was clear that that wasn’t going to happen? But Zeb seemed to be too honorable for that. Maybe it had been the vomiting--that had surely killed the mood. Or maybe… Maybe the problem went deeper than that. Maybe there was a reason all of Alex’s dates went sour. Maybe something was just wrong with him--something in his nature or chemical makeup that made him unloveable. If someone like Zeb, who he’d thought he was getting along with so well, had abandoned him the first chance that he got…

Alex wasn’t someone who ever let himself cry, but in spite of his best efforts one tear slips out, followed by another, and then the dam completely broke and he found himself a sobbing mess, his knees pulled up to his chest, feeling more alone than he’d ever felt in his entire life. 

He was crying so hard that he didn’t hear the door opening--didn’t even realize there was someone else in the room until he felt strong arms wrapping around him and heard a slightly rough but still sweet voice asking, “Kal? Kal, love, what’s wrong? Is the hangover headache really that bad?"

“Z-Zeb?” Alex stammers, unable to believe it when he saw Zeb on the bed next to him, looking down at him with those beautiful green eyes.

“I thought you were still sleeping soundly so I went to get us some breakfast, didn’t realize you were this bad off or I never would have left,” Zeb answers, tenderly tucking a loose strand of hair behind Alex’s ear.

“Y-You went to get breakfast?” Alex asks, his brain desperately trying to play emotional catchup on what was happening.

“Yeah, didn’t you see the note I left you?” Zeb asks, gesturing to the bedside table where Alex could now see that Zeb had plainly left a note for him.

“O-Oh…” Alex curls in on himself, feeling foolish and incredibly embarrassed for making such a fuss over nothing. 

“You thought I just left you here, didn’t you?” Zeb asks, understanding dawning on him. “Karabast, Kal, I’m so sorry, that must have been awful--”

“I-It’s not your fault!” Alex stammers out, not meeting Zeb’s eyes. “You did everything right, it was my fault for assuming-- You must think I’m a mess, mustn't you? First getting absolutely piss drunk and throwing up last night, now this…”

“Hey.” Zeb leans in and softly kisses his forehead. “I can handle a little mess, okay? If anything I’d say it’s good we're getting this out of the way now, eh? Seeing each other at our worst, no having to dance around pretending we’re perfect, yeah?” 

“I’d hardly say I’ve seen you at your worst, or else your worst is much more put together than mine,” Alex laughs wetly. 

“All right, fair,” Zeb chuckles warmly. “But don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll see it sooner rather than later.” 

“Really?” Alex looks hesitantly up at him. “Are you saying that… That you really want to keep seeing me, even after all of this?”

“I’m game if you are,” Zeb answers, grinning down at him. 

“I’d really like that.” Alex feels relief flooding through him. “And I suppose… I suppose if we’re going to keep seeing each other, you should know my first name.”

“I wouldn’t mind knowing that if you wouldn’t mind telling me.” Zeb gently takes Alex’s hand in his own, somehow instinctively seeming to know that this was something important.

Alex takes a deep breath to steady himself before finally saying, “I-It's Alexsandr. Although usually everyone shortens to it Alex.”

“Alexsandr,” Zeb repeats, and the way he said it in a tender, rumbling half growl sent a not at all unpleasant shiver down Alex’s spine. “I like that. It suits you.”

“T-Thank you.” Alex feels himself blushing (he seemed to do a lot of that around Zeb) before sighing contentedly as he lets his forehead rest against Zeb’s warm chest, receiving some much needed relief from his headache as well as just feeling incredibly cared for--or even, dare he say it, loved?--here in the shelter of Zeb’s arms.

“Still feeling the effects of last night, aren’t yeh?” Zeb asks sympathetically. 

“A bit,” Alex admits.

“Well then you just relax--we’ve got the room until eleven, so we can just stay here until you head’s feeling a little better, and maybe you can try eating in a bit if you feel up to it.”

“And after that?” Alex asks, looking up at Zeb. “I mean, after we have to leave?”

“Well, depends on what you’re feeling up to,” Zeb answers. “But if you’re feeling better, maybe I could take you out on a proper date?”

Alex feels warmth blooming to life in his chest, spreading out to fill every part of him as he burrows further into Zeb’s embrace. “I’d really, really like that,” he answers softly. 

“Perfect, then that’s just what we’ll do,” Zeb says, kissing the top of his head and making Alex feel like a giddy schoolboy experiencing his first crush. He didn’t mind that this time, though. If Zeb had been able to handle everything else so far, he could handle this. It was hard to believe that he’d found someone so incredible--someone who could not only tolerate but seemed to genuinely care about him, even after just one night together, and whom he cared about in return. And he had no intention of letting him go any time soon. 


	2. Chapter 2

Story by: BonniePride

Art by: DeathComeAlive


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